Ivan Rudolph - Living Beyond: Making Sense of Near Death Experiences

LIVING
BEYOND

Making Sense of Near Death Experiences

IVAN RUDOLPH

Foreword by Captain Dale B lack

Copyright 2019 Ivan Rudolph.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Author photo credit for Cornelis.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION and NIV are registered trademarks of Biblica, Inc. Use of either trademark for the offering of goods or services requires the prior written consent of Biblica US, Inc.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-950282-24-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-950282-26-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-950282-25-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015917382

Contents

Appendix
Statistics, Research and Support

Foreword by
Captain Dale Black PhD

Dale is author of the bestse ller

Flight To He aven.

Ivan Rudolph is a much-respected writer in Australia who is known for his painstaking research and comprehensive writing style. The majority of his books are historical and factual, winning critical acclaim and making him an excellent choice for authoring the book you hold in your hands. Im honored to be asked to write this Foreword.

In Living Beyond the author addresses vital questions that persons who have returned from a near-death experience (NDE) invariably struggle with when adjusting back to life on earth. Ivan does so in a fresh, frank and meaningful way that is both helpful and insightful.

This book is fluent and easy to read and will elevate your understanding of NDEs.

My own near-death experience occurred when I was a young, aspiring airline pilot in training. The horrific airplane crash and aftermath changed my life forever. Throughout the 43 years since my journey to heaven and back, the effects have not lessened, but have continued to shape the choices I make. Upon waking from a coma I knew that earth was not my home. I am temporarily assigned here for the divine purpose of helping others learn about the One True God. I am also preparing myself for a permanent heavenly home.

Near-death experiences often result in returnees struggling to readjust to their former life. An experience outside of the body brings the stark realization that life does not end at physical death. In fact, life outside of the body is far more pure and the individual may discover they feel profoundly more alive than ever before.

This near-death journey often causes great difficulty in adjusting to ones former life. Careers may be upended as returnees embrace a vibrant new purpose for their lives. This is certainly what happened in my case.

Much confusion surrounds the basic nature of near-death experiences and Ivan meets the varied accounts head-on masterfully. He also supplies a solid Christian interpretation of these events, thus helping readers unlock much of their mystery.

Now fasten your seat belt and get ready for an amazing ride with author Ivan Rudolph in Living Be yond.

I was eleven years old, growing up in Africa in the late 1950s, when my father died of a heart attack. On recovery, he told us very little about what had happened, except that his spirit had left his body and that the experience had been wonderful. He spoke about floating and a dark corridor and a bright light. What remains indelibly imprinted in my memory is his happy smile when he spoke regarding his near-death experience (NDE). He told us emphatically that death was nothing to be feared.

My interest was piqued and as I grew older I began speaking to others who had had similar experiences to that of my father. A pattern emerged that was similar to the one proposed later in 1975 by Dr Raymond Moody, in an influential book Life After Life .

I read in addition the teachings of different religions about what happened in the afterlife, including Christian viewpoints. My family did not attend church and I had no relevant teaching on spiritual matters.

In my reading, I discovered that some religions taught several points of similarity to the NDE pattern that I had noticed emerging in peoples accounts. Nonetheless, they all differed from this pattern in significant ways.

An exciting development was that some doctors and scientists began to investigate NDEs. Unfortunately, most researchers concentrated on the brain or psychological issues in their search for explanations. I found this perplexing. It seemed to me that anything less than a spiritual explanation must be incorrect because the NDE began in earnest only once the spirit left the body and found itself experiencing consciousness outside the brain. Soon there were hundreds of reports of NDErs looking down on their physical bodies from above describing activities that they could not possibly have seen unless they were observers who had been separated from their bodies and brains. People who had been at the scene confirmed the accuracy of a significant number of these observations.

I studied chemistry, geology and physics at university and became a science and mathematics teacher, all without delving any deeper into the nature of NDEs.

When I developed a strong Christian faith in my late 20s, I began to seek insights from the Bible to help explain the NDE phenomenon. I discovered that the majority of descriptions given by those who had had the experience were consistent with biblical writings, particularly those relating to the topic of death. This I found to be the case irrespective of the faith stance of the returnees.

In this book, Living Beyond , I will present fresh perceptions regarding life after death that I have developed over the years. There are thousands of NDE accounts that I have read and I quote widely from them. While they are from many different sources, in which the experiences are interpreted in various ways, the analysis that accompanies the accounts in this book is my own, and is therefore unique. My selection of material is also a little different. Many NDE accounts provide information from friends, medical personnel and witnesses of the events surrounding that episode. This is interesting and gives credibility to that particular NDE. My purpose, however, is to focus on the NDE itself, leaving out much accompanying detail.

I had no intention of writing a book on afterlife experiences until I spoke to and read about many NDErs who were perplexed and disturbed. Consequently, a significant number were struggling with life after their return. I believe I am the first to set out in this way to provide a solidly biblical Christian overview and interpretation of NDEs aimed at addressing confusion in both returnees and those interested in life after death.